CHESTNUT HILL, MA (10-31-06) -- The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a three-year, $2.1 million grant to an interdisciplinary group of Boston College faculty members to develop an urban environmental science curriculum, text book and multimedia system for use in America's urban high schools.

At least 50 high school science teachers and 5000 students also will be involved in the project over the life of the grant. A unique feature of this program is that the team includes Person Education as corporate partners, who will serve to publish and sustain the project after the grant is complete.

In addition, specialists from the Center for Applied Special Technology in Wakefield, Mass. will help to craft the curriculum so that it is accessible by the widest range of students possible.

The Boston College faculty team consists of Environmental Studies Director and Urban Ecology Institute Science Director Prof. Eric Strauss, Urban Ecology Inst. Executive Director Charles Lord, Lynch School of Education faculty members Assoc. Prof. Mike Barnett and Asst. Prof. Katherine McNeill, as well as collaborators from institutions across the country.

This grant will allow the team to build on the strength of their two previous NSF grants.

"During the three years of this grant, the team will build on the theme of urban field-based science education pioneered by the Urban Ecology Institute," said Strauss who added that the team will work closely with teachers in partner schools across the country to implement and evaluate the curriculum and then later scale the materials across the nation.

"The team is particularly excited about the opportunity to bring the fruits of this interdisciplinary Boston College partnership, which has transformed science education in Boston, to the national scale," said Strauss.

The mission of the BC Urban Ecology Institute is to promote the stewardship of healthy urban ecosystems by im
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Contact: Jack Dunn
dunnjo@bc.edu
617-552-3350
Boston College
31-Oct-2006